Hello August

 

We’re smack in the middle of summer but I will pause and count my blessings this season.  Our arid Arizona days have turned into monsoon rains and we are refreshed.  Triple digits are put on hold for a while and cooler desert mornings allow me longer hours of yard work, especially after the messy, wild storms. 

We’ve always grown hollyhocks, but for some reason, they went dormant the last two years.  I remember Tom on his sickbed reminding me to water the seeds he planted near the fence and, like a crazy lady, I watered what seemed like empty dirt all last year.  Was he confused, maybe?  Come spring I saw the fluffy, green leaves sprout all along the fence line.  I got excited when the different colored flowers opened.  You never know what you're going to get!

As I watered, I thought of the Scripture verse about “calling forth that which is not as though it was.”  Hmm, I should apply that one to several areas of my life!

 

I spent last week with family in Tucson.  We grilled burgers, watch Netflix, and had a pizza night.  My daughter and her husband joined their friends for a get-a-way and things got interesting for me.  I babysat my youngest granddaughter, Amy, who loves board games and water balloon fights.  Actually, it felt good when she drenched me in the hot 112 degrees! 

Amy invited me to tea with Jasper, the dog and Lily, the unicorn.  We drank lemonade and she served candy bars and chocolate chip cookies.  I will never forget it.

 

I enjoyed Susanna last weekend.  She briefed me on her trip to Europe this summer with her dad and told me she ate kidney pie and crumpets in England.  It was the second time they visited Ireland.  School started early in Arizona this year and she is now enrolled in her freshman year.  Both girls are home schooled!  Where does the time go?

My grandchildren like my flowers are growing fast but today I embrace them and enjoy them.  I won’t think about tomorrow.

 

Baby turns 40 this year and that’s unheard of for a cockatiel.  His cage sits next to my desktop in my office and we start our mornings together with me sipping coffee and he chirping to bird music on You Tube.  My cat, Bonita, is one tough fur baby, too.

 

I named my property!  I told the kids I nixed “Pine Havens.”  It sounds too much like an old people’s home.  I’m going with “Pine Hideaway.”  Now all I need is a sign to hang on one of my many pine trees.

All too soon, summer will fade and fall will arrive.  I’ll be sure to capture it with my cell phone!  Until then, happy summer days.